Capacity Development

Universities are encouraging – in some cases requiring – academics to produce more innovative and interdisciplinary research proposals. Yet there are so many demands on their time and resources; it can be difficult for busy academics to find practical ways to develop the skill set necessary to solicit and develop more innovative proposals.

Knowinnovation has several offers to help academics, scientists, researchers and research development managers who’d like to sharpen their creative thinking and facilitation skills:

Practical Creative Facilitation Workshop
An intensive 2-day program that covers the fundamental concepts of creative collaboration and gives key process tools to engage academics and support innovative output. Workshop participants experience and practice with activities that can be incorporated into their own innovation process, or just used to make their day-to-day meetings more productive.

Creative Problem Solving Training
This skill-building program is designed to teach participants how to use the CPS process and some of its basic tools and techniques, cultivating a common language to use with their colleagues to address future creative challenges. The training program is augmented by a virtual component, prior to and after a short face-to-face interaction.

Action Learning Problem Solving
Addressing a real problem that is important and critical, a KI facilitator runs a group through the creative process to generate and reflect upon potential solutions. The program includes skill training to help participants use creative techniques during the workshop, but is not heavy-handed. Participants discover novel solutions to their challenges, and along the way, learn how to use creative tools and methods in their own workplace.

The Creative Thinking Course (TCTC)
KI has developed this online course to present the fundamentals of the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process. Individuals may opt to enroll individually to increase their own creative thinking and problem solving skills, or in some cases several critical video segments from the course are shared with participants prior to a KI event to prepare them to use our creative methodology.

Developing Science Leaders
The complex challenges of the world require scientists who are prepared to think in interdisciplinary terms and to work collaboratively across disciplines. This workshop is not a traditional training program, but rather an Ideas Lab in which the central question is one to do with leadership. Through our Inclusive Innovation initiative, we’ve worked with the the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP), and the ASEAN Science Leadership Program (ASEAN-SLP), to encourage early to mid-career scientists to explore how, as science leaders, they can make a difference within their department, their university and the field of science overall. This is not only a wider regional initiative, the Science Leadership Clinic is designed to help launch local university and smaller regional initiatives like the Tuks Young Research Leadership Program (TYRLP) at the University of Pretoria.

When it comes to training, every organization has its specific needs. If yours aren’t covered here, please feel free to contact us so we can chat about what kind of training or workshop will help you develop the skills and capacity you need.